Even an experienced pet sitter like Daphne Templeton can be fooled by animal behavior: how can an adorably tiny fuzz ball named Tinkleston be capable of sudden flying leaps with cat claws bared? But human behavior remains even more mysterious, especially when Tinkleston’s owner is murdered on the night of a gala fundraiser for Fur-ever Friends Pet Rescue.

Accompanied by her unflappable basset hound, Socrates, Daphne plans to take charge of Tinks the Terror and leave the crime-solving to handsome detective Jonathan Black. But while luring the prickly Persian out of hiding, she uncovers clues that might take suspicion off her own mother. Maeve Templeton already has a reputation as a killer—in real estate. How far would she go to bag Sylvan Creek’s most coveted property, the Flynt Mansion?

To expose the truth, Daphne finds herself donning a deranged clown costume on an autumnal adventure that might just be crazy enough to work—if it doesn’t get her killed.

Review:

This is my first cozy mystery, and I loved it. This is a sequel, but everything was recapped and introduced so well, that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

The characters were great. There were some very eccentric older characters, and quirky young characters. Many of them were stock characters, but it worked in this story. There was also a hint of romance, but it didn’t overpower the story.

The mystery part of the story was so good. I really had no idea how it was going to end. The Halloween setting also increased the spooky atmosphere. The story kept me guessing till the end, which is what I think makes a good mystery.

I had to laugh at how much of the town was pet-oriented. There were pet stores and petsitters galore in that town! That didn’t seem very realistic but it was entertaining to see the town that was so focused on animals.

I loved this story! After reading this story, I would love to read another cozy mystery.

About the Author:

Bethany Blake lives in a small, quaint town in Pennsylvania with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not writing, cooking for pets and people or riding horses, she’s wrangling a menagerie of furry family members that includes a nervous pit bull, a fearsome feline, a blind goldfish, and an attack cardinal named Robert. Like Daphne Templeton, the heroine of her Lucky Paws Mysteries, Bethany holds a Ph.D. and operates a pet sitting business called Barkley’s Premium Pet Care.

It’s a new day in the Empire. Tyrus has ascended to the throne with Nemesis by his side and now they can find a new way forward—one where they don’t have to hide or scheme or kill. One where creatures like Nemesis will be given worth and recognition, where science and information can be shared with everyone and not just the elite.

But having power isn’t the same thing as keeping it, and change isn’t always welcome. The ruling class, the Grandiloquy, has held control over planets and systems for centuries—and they are plotting to stop this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who is considered nothing more than a creature and certainly not worthy of being Empress.

Nemesis will protect Tyrus at any cost. He is the love of her life, and they are partners in this new beginning. But she cannot protect him by being the killing machine she once was. She will have to prove the humanity that she’s found inside herself to the whole Empire—or she and Tyrus may lose more than just the throne. But if proving her humanity means that she and Tyrus must do inhuman things, is the fight worth the cost of winning it?

Review:

This was such an exciting sequel to The Diabolic.

There was a lot more background given for this world, such as their origin and their religious beliefs. These humans had to leave Earth to escape the mechanized beings that humans on Earth had turned into. They would inject machines into their skin to do everything for them. This seems possible today, since we are so reliant on machines and computers. I’m sure that injectable computers are an invention for the near future.

The story also spoke heavily about drugs. Drugs are used recreationally and for controlling others, by making them dependent on them. These two uses were interesting to read about, especially in the way that different people reacted to them. The effects of withdrawal were also portrayed in the story.

I loved the time travel portions of the story. Time passes at different rates in different parts of the Galaxy. What takes 10 hours in one place could be 1 year in another. I liked the way time would jump like this, so we could see the effects of time lapsing in the Chrysanthemum very quickly.

Some parts were so heart wrenching. There was love and loss. I felt so emotionally invested with the characters. Nemesis’s first person narration made me feel like I really knew her.

NEW YORK TIMES best-selling writer Greg Rucka continues his celebrated return to the Amazon Warrior in WONDER WOMAN VOL. 4: GODWATCH!

Since the moment Wonder Woman arrived in our world, Godwatch has been waiting. But who are they, and what do they want? Diana’s journey to the truth that she’s been seeking since WONDER WOMAN VOL. 1 continues here, with the origin of what may prove to be her greatest enemies.

Like the other graphic novels in this series, the timeline jumps around in this one. However, it was more linear than some of them have been.

A lot of background was given on Veronica Cale, so I understood the story about her daughter much better. This continued from the previous volume, where there was a major plot twist with her daughter.

This volume focused more on the secondary characters, such as Barbara Ann and Veronica than Wonder Woman, but I still enjoyed it. It was much more cohesive in the way that it gave some background and some new, current events.

I enjoyed this graphic novel and I look forward to reading the next one!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is books I’m thankful for, in honour of American Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for these books/series because they inspired my love of reading! Here’s my list:

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mark her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.

Review:

The fourth and final fairytale in The Lunar Chronicles is Snow White. I think Winter was a great addition to this cast of characters.

I loved that Winter was a girl of colour. It gives some more representation to this diverse group of girls. She also shows that beauty goes deeper than your skin.

Winter is another clever girl who has brought along her own romantic interest in Jacin. I was rooting for them from the beginning!

Though I was sad to see this series end, I was satisfied with the ending. I was glad to see that Meyer has created a spin off series of graphic novels, which I will have to get my hands on now!

My reviews for Cinder can be found here, Scarlet can be found here, and Cress can be found here.

The true story of Kate Warne and the other women who served as Pinkertons, fulfilling the adage, “Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History.” Most students of the Old West and American law enforcement history know the story of the notorious and ruthless Pinkerton Detective Agency and the legends behind their role in establishing the Secret Service and tangling with Old West Outlaws. But the true story of Kate Warne, an operative of the Pinkerton Agency and the first woman detective in America–and the stories of the other women who served their country as part of the storied crew of crime fighters–are not well known. For the first time, the stories of these intrepid women are collected here and richly illustrated throughout with numerous historical photographs. From Kate Warne’s probable affair with Allan Pinkerton, and her part in saving the life of Abraham Lincoln in 1861 to the lives and careers of the other women who broke out of the Cult of True Womanhood in pursuit of justice, these true stories add another dimension to our understanding of American history.

Review:

This is a fascinating book!

I had never heard of this agency before, and once I started reading, I wished I had. These are important stories for the feminist movement, because it shows the strength of women since the nineteenth century.

I loved that Pinkerton introduced female detectives specifically because they were underestimated by the rest of the country. This was a smart technique on his part, since he was able to use this prejudice against everyone else, while also working with great detectives.

A lot of these stories sounded like an action movie. One great tale is when Kate Warne pretended Abraham Lincoln was her brother to sneak him onto a train. It’s amazing how that worked. It’s funny because if I saw it in a movie I would have thought it was made up, but these are all true stories.

The Pinkerton Detective Agency did some amazing crime fighting. These stories are so entertaining. I highly recommend this book!

After years of following her best friend’s lead, Mary Davies finds a whimsical trip back to Austen’s Regency England paves the way towards a new future.

Mary Davies lives and works in Austin, Texas, as an industrial engineer. She has an orderly and productive life, a job and colleagues that she enjoys—particularly a certain adorable, intelligent, and hilarious consultant. But something is missing for Mary. When her estranged and emotionally fragile childhood friend Isabel Dwyer offers Mary a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in Bath, Mary reluctantly agrees to come along, in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways. But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes that she lives in Regency England. Mary becomes dependent on a household of strangers to take care of Isabel until she wakes up.

With Mary in charge and surrounded by new friends, Isabel rests and enjoys the leisure of a Regency lady. But life gets even more complicated when Mary makes the discovery that her life and Isabel’s have intersected in more ways that she knew, and she finds herself caught between who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who stands between them. Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings play out, and dancing ensues as this triangle works out their lives and hearts among a company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation.

Review:

I love Jane Austen adaptations, so when I heard about this one, I had to get it!

I really liked this story. It had some great twists. There were a few moments when my mouth dropped open, I was so surprised.

I loved how they were from Austin, Texas. It was a subtle reference to Austen that I didn’t pick up on at first, but it was a cute addition.

I also really liked the Austen references. It made me feel connected with the characters, like having an inside joke. There were also a variety of ages of characters, from a couple in their eighties to an eight-year-old girl. This variety was great because it gave the opportunity to show many different Austen characters, such as Mrs. Jennings and Margaret Dashwood.

This story reminds me of Austenland, so the story wasn’t too original. But I still enjoyed it. I recommend this story for all Austen lovers!